


Wings (day 8-scars)

by Only_Slightly_Obsessed (A_Stressed_Cupcake)



Series: Rémy's 2020 Multifandom Whumptober Works [8]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Durbe has seen some stuff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Scars, Whumptober 2020, actual parent friend-baby friend, reincarnation scars, they be buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26934877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Stressed_Cupcake/pseuds/Only_Slightly_Obsessed
Summary: Durbe will not swim.He got special permission (that is to say, forged it) to skip all physical activity at school. He didn't say why, but then again, he was never the sporty type. And, at this point, they all know better than to tell him what to do.____Whumptober 2020- day 8: Scars
Relationships: Durbe & Alit
Series: Rémy's 2020 Multifandom Whumptober Works [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965271
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Wings (day 8-scars)

**Author's Note:**

> cw implied violence

Durbe will not swim. 

He got  _ special permission _ (that is to say, forged it) to skip all physical activity at school. He didn't say why, but then again, he was never the sporty type. And, at this point, they all know better than to tell him what to do.

Strangely enough, none of the humans seem too disturbed by it. Neither do Nasch and Merag. Then again, they probably know exactly what the issue is, because they always do, Durbe tells them everything. Alit is honestly just a little jealous of the trust he puts in them, but most of all, he is terribly curious.

So he stays back with him one day, while he's busy doing his research. 

Durbe has taken a liking to studying dead languages. For  _ some  _ reason. Honestly, it's not as surprising a hobby as some of the other emperors (yes, indeed, he  _ was _ thinking of Merag's fixation with every sport in the universe, plus a special mention for Vector and his surprisingly good cooking. After checking for poison at least three times, obviously).

Alit hasn't done much besides joining a martial arts club and occasionally engaging in some good old fashioned wrestling and boxe, though mostly with Gilag, who is not afraid of being punched in the face a couple times.

So he really hopes skipping his practice won't come back to bite him and that Durbe will just cave and tell him what the problem is.

It's unlikely, honestly, but a guy can dream.

"Oi, Durbe." he calls from the other side of the library, causing his fellow emperor to raise his head in that inquisitive manner of his.

"Shouldn't you be off wrestling with Gilag today?" he sighs, immediately returning to the three ancient Greek textbooks open in front of him.

"There's been a change of plans." he shrugs, "So I thought I'd pass by to see you."

"Me?"

"You."

"Why?"

He looks genuinely surprised. 

Alit slides in the seat across from him: "Oh, you know, just checking in."

The surprised expression is replaced by a significantly more tired, less eager look: "What do you want, Alit?"

"Nothing."

"And that is a lie."

"That is a lie." he admits, quietly.

"So…?" Durbe gestures for him to  _ get it over with, I don't have time for this _ . 

He decides to say it like it is.

"Say, why don't you do sports?"

Durbe blinks a few times.

Then he deflates a bit: "Ah. So that's what you're here for."

“Well, yeah.”

“It’s nothing.” he shrugs, which is just about what Alit expected, “It’s just… I’d rather not let the humans see the scars.” he adds, which is  _ not _ what he expected, and is extremely interesting to boot.

“Scars?” he repeats, “Where? From what?? When did you get those?”

“Lower your voice!” Durbe scolds him, despite the library being completely empty, “If you tell our classmates or, God forbid, Yuma, I will  _ never _ hear the end of it.”

He is correct in that regard. What he failed to consider is that Alit will  _ also _ never let him hear the end of it. Not until he has every little bit of information there is to obtain.

“Sorry.” he whispers, “But really, what scars?”

“They’re nothing too bad.”

“Uh, come on. You don’t even swim with us to hide them. Come on, Durbe, come ooooon!!!”

Initially, the poor boy ignores him. Unfortunately for him, he is very hard to ignore.

“Come on come on come on come on come on com-”

“No.”

“-on come on come on come on come on-”

“Shut up.”

“-come on come on come on come on-”

Durbe sighs so hard he can almost see his soul leaving his body: “If I tell you, will you leave?”

“Yes.” he replies without hesitation, “If you tell me  _ and _ you show me.”

He shifts uncomfortably: “They’re on my back.” he says, “I don’t want to take my shirt off.”

“You don’t have to. You can just lift it.”

“Same difference.”

“Nu-uh! You know, I have a  _ lot _ of time on my hands. Does anyone else know about this?”

“Yeah.” Durbe admits, tapping his pencil on the desk, “Nasch and Merag.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“I’m honoured.”

“And I’m regretful.” mumbles Durbe.

Alit twists his hands a bit. He knows one way he could get Durbe to be more open about it. It’s a little uncomfortable for him too, sure, but he won’t have to take his shirt off for it and Durbe looks significantly more uncomfortable than him anyway. 

“Can I tell you something?” he asks.

Durbe quirks his brow: “Sure.”

“If they look the way I think they look, I’ve got one too.”

“ _ What _ ?” 

His textbooks forgotten, he leans across the desk: “Really? Honestly? Where?”

“Hang on, Durbe. I propose a deal.”

He sits back: “What deal?”

“I show you mine, you show me yours.”

Durbe looks rather hesitant. But he’s a curious soul, and his curiosity, once again, gets the better of him: “Fine.”

He was  _ not _ entirely prepared for him to accept, admittedly. 

“Okay…” he breathes, “Just… fair warning, don’t touch it.”

“Don’t touch mine.” Durbe replies without a moment’s hesitation.

“Deal.”

Leaning his head forward hurts. It always does, for some reason. Sticking his neck out, not metaphorically but literally, hurts him for some reason. It’s like a whole new sting in his chest.

Pushing aside the memory of sand under his knees and chains around his wrists, he brushes his hair down.

He knows what’s there. 

A thin white line running all the way around the back of his neck, larger where his spine sticks out. 

He feels Durbe breathe against his hair: “Oh.”

“Yeah.” he mumbles, pulling himself back up before he can have any more flashbacks, “Good thing I like my hair long, eh?”

“I… yes. I didn’t know about this…” mumbles Durbe. The information is running behind his eyes, where his studious little brain is already storing it in its proper place. He’s like that. 

Alit can pinpoint the exact moment he realizes that he’s promised to show his own scars, because that is also the moment his train of thought freezes.

“Oh.” his lips draw into a thin line, “Right. A deal is a deal.”

He comes to stand next to Alit, his fingers already hooked into the bottom of his shirt. He struggles a bit with getting it over his head, but when he does…

The first thought that passes through his mind is that Durbe has wings. 

The second is that those are  _ not _ wings, those are three large, jagged white lines, one on each of his shoulder blades and one running straight down his spine. 

The third is that they’re long and wide and, as open wounds, Alit is sure they would be agonisingly painful.

They are, admittedly, very noticeable. 

“I think I see your point now.” he whispers, gently pulling his shirt back down.

"Yeah." Durbe turns his head away, "I hope for your sake that no one saw me showing you my entire back."

Alit scoffs: "As if. I have very high standards."

"Right. As we know." he rolls his eyes, sarcastically.

"If you're referring to who I think you're referring to, I take offense to that." 

They part ways right out the doors and don’t talk about it again.

Not without the other five, that is, when someone accidentally catches Mizael studying the myriad of tiny white lines on his back.

**Author's Note:**

> My immediate thought when I got the idea of reincarnation scars on Durbe was Nasch, obviously. HOWEVER, Nasch's death did not involve sharp objects as far as I know and therefore would not leave him physical scars.  
> So my mind went to the most open-hearted guy out of the Barians, who we know had a graphic death involving sharp objects indeed.  
> And thus this was born.  
> This is meant as gen but like... if you wanna put your shipping goggles on, by all means.
> 
> -Rémy


End file.
